starting now

1.23.2014

As I promised earlier today, I'm back with some scrappy fun to share!! First up is a link to my post last week over at Noel Mignon. We were sharing all things organization & I chose to share some pics & ideas on how I am organizing my Project Life for this year - check it out HERE :)

Speaking of Noel Mignon - I have been enjoying playing with January's Fresh Start kit :) For this layout, I chose to keep a fairly neutral layout with lots of white space. Then, I tried to simulate the "explosion" of a science experiment with some sprays of color out to the right side of the page. Feel free to head over to the blog for details HERE :)

I am currently one week in to my Project Life. A few weeks behind already, but as long as I stay within a month, I'm not going to worry!!! I used a mix of the Cocoa Daisy Day in the Life kit & their main kit, Blueprint. I also added a few goodies from my stash.

My cover page was cut from a Becky Higgins Design F page protector so the back was my left side for week one. Love their exclusive Cocoa Daisy letterpress card and that adorable Freckled Fawn cork frame!!

For my right side I used a Becky Higgins Design G page protector. The October Afternoon yellow alphas just won me over - big time :) Love them!!

For week 2 I plan on using the Design G for the left side and Design A for the right. Ideally I'd like to work into 2 - 12 x 12 page protectors as I usually take lots of pics :)

and with growing comes disappointment . . . that's just the nature of the game. We attended our first Pinewood Derby this past weekend, it's a toss up whether or not he was really excited about it. He has been a bit unimpressed with Scouts these days. At first he LOVED it & I was happy we had something he seemed really into - but recently, not so excited. Not quite sure why . . . anyways - his "part" of the car construction was really the decorating. Justin had cut it - a Lego car, of course :) Ryan painted the car and oversized Lego head, as well as added some star rub-ons all over the body of the car. It looked good but as a real contender for the races - not a chance :( I mean we didn't know this because building a Derby car was new to us - we didn't go researching all the tricks and tips (as maybe we should have). In the end Ryan was in the end, OVER, and OVER, and OVER - five times if I'm not mistaken - dead last. And he knew it, and fully comprehended it. Which, well, pretty much sucked. I mean we can't all be THE winner, but last place five times - that's rough :( The helicopter momma in me wanted to fly him the heck out of there but there was a lesson to be learned here, so this momma took advantage of the teachable moment. We talked about winning and losing, and what was most important. We talked about how even though he wasn't winning, how much he liked the design of his car. We talked about what we might do differently the next go around. Then another scout came up and proceeded to share he had been in first place four times and asked Ryan what place he had been in. Ryan answered 6th (tears welling), and the boy said "Every time?" and Ryan said "yes", in a small voice - we all know that one, the one that comes out when you really just want to climb into a hole. Then the the boy continued to say "High numbers are bad, you don't want to have a high number." Seriously - was this really happening? Then, Ryan dropped the car and the large Lego head broke off, and rolled right across the floor. Yep, you read that right - the head came right off and rolled across the floor. And then the tears came, and then helicopter momma (that's me!!) swept that kiddo off to the corner. I gave him a pep talk, wiped the tears, glued that crazy head on, messed with the wheels a little bit, and sent him off to race again. I have to give him props because he hung in there, even though I know he wanted to just leave. And in that moment - where he left me and walked right back up there to race again, knowing most likely he'd be in last place again, I was SO PROUD of him.

And guess what - the next race - third place! So crazy after 5 races of last place - right? Not gonna lie - I totally jumped out of my chair and cheered like a wild-woman :)

As mommas it's our job to build them up, help them learn to be confident, and help them learn how to be strong. It's not an easy task, and you hope when the moment comes where they need to dig down deep and find their own strength, that they can.

It's funny, just the other day I was having one of those moments - those stay at home mommy meltdowns. Where you think about your past career, and you remember how good you were at it, and then you look at the mommy moment you are in and wonder how you can feel so inadequate - so unsuccessful - so NOT good at it. But then, when I see this person my little man is becoming, especially in moments like these, I know what I am doing is making a difference. All the moments spent teaching & guiding & loving that seem somewhat insignificant individually, now strung together to allow him to be the person he needs to be. Moments like these remind me why my job is so important.

And so I didn't forget that important lesson this week, I captured this moment in the snow.

Nicholas was crying because the snow was too crazy for him, blowing all over his face. I was about to grab him and watched Ryan run over and tell him "I'll protect you Nicholas". And he shielded him from the snow - because that's what good brothers do :)

1.15.2014

Yes, you read it right :) We are busy over here with bedtimes & birthdays!! After just finishing up celebrating Ryan's birthday at the end of December, we were on to my father's and then Nicholas'. December & January are busy months for us!! My plan was to move Nicholas into the bed the week after his birthday. Yes, I know, he's turning three, and in a crib. Not to mention he fit the crib end to end. But he never tried to get out & he liked it & all mommies know how much easier it is when the kiddos are confined to a crib :) Less worrying about rolling out, or getting stuck in the crack between the wall and the bed, or running around in the middle of the night :) Unfortunately, Ryan put our plans in fast forward as somehow he managed to break the front of the crib Saturday morning. Nicholas' crib had a small front portion that folded down when taking kiddos out and then pulled up & clicked shut on either side with latches when putting kiddos in. Don't ask me how, but he not only broke one of the latches, but also a chunk of wood came off - BOYS!!! Anyways, we spent the day safety-proofing the room for any late night wanderings and getting the bed ready. This little man LOVED it & did so awesome - YAY!!

The next day we celebrated his birthday - Mickey Mouse style!!

And of course a birthday of my boys wouldn't be complete without some lego building :)

Amidst all the celebrations, I have tried to squeeze in some scrappy time :) Finally I was able to get my Project Life cover page done. I recently purchased the Cocoa Daisy Day in the Life January kit and used it to start my album. I loved the mix of colors against the black & white pics. Unfortunately as I was looking through my photos, I realized the ONLY family pic I had was from Halloween - totally sad!! And we are not even all looking the same direction :) Classic!! Anyways - I still used it, along with 2 of my favorite pics of the boys. I kept it pretty simple - which by the way is my goal for the year with Project Life. I didn't stress about non-rounded and rounded corners. My favorite card is the yellow one. I added some hand-stitching and those gorgeous October Afternoon script alphas!!! A little bit of tone on tone action :)

I shared a sneak peek of this layout last week - but here's the full reveal!! This is my first layout with the January Noel Mignon Fresh Start kit. For details you can head over to the blog post HERE :)

I will be posting this Thursday at Noel Mignon on my Project Life organization and tips so be sure to stop on by :)

1.08.2014

My first layout of the year is going up on the Noel Mignon blog tomorrow:) I decided to go 8 1/2 x 11 this year. I'm excited to try scrapping in a new size :) I am also working on organizing my Project Life "station" and will share some pics this weekend. Here's my sneak . . .

Some birthday fun with my new Noel Mignon Fresh Start kit!!! They are already sold out but Noel does still have a few spots open for March to June subscriptions. You will NOT be disappointed in the kits!!! They are filled to the brim with goodies of the latest & greatest in the industry :) Check the details out HERE!! Happy Hump Day people!!

1.06.2014

"I am younger each year at the first snow. When I see it, suddenly in the air, all little and white and moving, then I am in love again and very young and I believe in everything." - Anne Sexton

I LOVE the snow, maybe if I lived in a different place that got snow all the time I'd feel differently. But since here in the Mid-Atlantic it is usually hit or miss, it's pretty magical when we do :) I will admit I stalk the weather channels and forums during the winter season & I might just be that person that stays up until the wee hours just to see the first snowflakes fall. I'm weather geeky like that :) And my kiddos - well they love it just the same!!

I have a beautiful Noel Mignon Fresh Start kit staring at me right now, but I'm in a creative rut. Just trying to decide how I will document my memories in 2014. I do definitely want to continue Project Life this year. I was not as successful as I would have liked in 2013, but I did cover a decent number of weeks. I take tons of pics so I do think I need to document weekly. I love the new 6 x 8 albums popping up, but I'm pretty sure I need 12 x 12, especially since I really want to focus on this being my main source of documenting 2014. I still plan on maybe taking 4 - 6 special pictures or moments from each month to do individual pages of & keep in a separate album. I'm just stuck on whether I want to do 12 x 12 or 8 1/2 x 11. What are your plans for memory keeping this year? Project Life or traditional scrapbooking? or both?

In the meantime, I have been perusing the new goodies coming out for the Winter CHA. Nothing like
window shopping to help with procrastination :) Here's what has piqued my interest . . .

#1 Jenni Bowlin - I LOVE these gold rub-on stars!! I'll be honest, I NEVER in a million years thought I'd like anything gold, scrapbooking or otherwise :) I'm a silver kind of gal :) But one of Noel Mignon's past kits had a number of gold products in it & I really liked using them on my pages. Stars are a no-brainer & gold, well yes - I'll take that!

#2 I've haven't bought much My Mind's Eye in a while - but I really like this color scheme.

#3 Basic Grey - I've really liked some of their recent collections. I also really like Kelly Purkey's work so this is another no-brainer for me :) LOVE the papers & the embellishments - Mon Ami is right up my alley.

I also really am excited to see their Capture products this go around. I love the look of this sneak peek - a little bit like Sassafras Lass :)

Oh & all these cute little alphas!!

#4 Elle's Studio - I've been a fan of her work for a long time & loved when she started creating papers to go with all her fun tags. The wood veneers she's coming out with her collections are awesome too!!

#5 Simple Stories - I really think I will like using some of the DIY collection for my Project Life - super easy to use & versatile for all types of memories :)

#6 Crate Paper - I haven't bought much of Crate Paper in a while. But I do like the patterns in their new boy line. Also the clear alphas are pretty cool!!

#7 Pink Paislee - I'm impressed this CHA with Pink Paislee!! I like the direction they seem to be headed. They had became a bit flowery & vintage for my taste, so I haven't bought any in a long time. However I do really like the bright, cheery color scheme of their Hello Sunshine!!

#8 Studio Calico - I'll be honest, their papers are not my cup of tea recently, but I do love many of their embellishments. Their new basics line has some must-haves for me like these chipboard hearts & stars and the fun alpha & label stickers!

That's my favs for now!! What are YOU seeing out there that is peeking your scrappy interest??

1.01.2014

Yes, sadly it has been 3 months since my last post. Life just kind of got in the way :) But I am back - it's a new year & I did some dusting off & fixing up of the old blog!! You'll notice my navigation bar on the right now with updated pages. The sketch page is full of sketches from the past year & a half :) I am planning to add more in as I locate them. Unfortunately I was not the best at saving all my sketches in one particular folder on my desktop, so I'm having to do some hunting. Anyways - on to my top 13 projects of the 2013!! Some of these will be new to you, as a few I never blogged about :) Looking forward to keeping up with the blogging world more regularly in 2014 - Happy New Year everyone!!

10.01.2013

So excited it's finally October!! The past month has been super busy, getting the kiddos in the new routine of school and starting up Cub Scouts and Sunday School. The brewery (my husband's new business) is in full swing at our house for the time being while construction will soon begin at the actual site. Lots of test batches being created and tweaking final recipes for our initial offerings. If you haven't yet, check out our Facebook page & website. Exciting stuff on the horizon!!

As for me - well I'm a big ragged these days just running in a million directions trying to get everyone where they need to be & get things done. I haven't been scrapping as much as I'd like, but did have a chance to play with the new Fancy Pants Designs lines this weekend. They are AWESOME - great color schemes & the embellishments - just adorable!! The first layout I created features the Happy-Go-Lucky line:

I decided to cut some fun leaves from my Silhouette & create a border along the top of the page. Amidst the leaves I popped in an adorable flair from the collection.

Instead of using one of the patterned photo frames for a photo, I decided to place my journaling inside it. A sticker and a few gorgeous buttons added a fun touch to the frame :)

My second page features more of the Happy-Go-Lucky line :) In this page I showcased the struggles of getting a pic of my two guys. Ryan is the perfect poser but Nicholas loves to say cheese and give the squinty half-smile :) Such a ham!!

The new wooden phrases are AWESOME!!! I added a chipboard button over top of the "o" and layered it all on top of one of the large tags.

The ephemera pack from this line if full of fun elements. I loved these adorable leaves and fun photo corner!!!